Goblin Slayer of Remnant
by The95will
Summary: "They are rage, brutal, without mercy. But you, you will be worse. Rip and tear, until it is done..."
1. Chapter 1, Goblin Slayer

**The art used for the poster is by Respirdal from Tumblr. Please give the artist a look.**

Grass and tree branches danced from a soothing breeze, on top of the dirt metal clanked above a layer of leather. The two half-moons in the sky revealed most of the terrain. The thick bark and the scent of iron reeked perfumed the area. The figure encased in metal stopped it glanced to its right.

At the foot of a tree rested the corpse of a baby calf. Several months old with its intestines spilled out onto to seep in the dirt. Flies gorged themselves as the figure kneeled down. A knife rested at the calf's throat, no longer than a dagger.

The figure's back pointed toward the tree branches above, several green skin toddler sized beings grumbled and smiled at the prey. Two lunged out, one at the ground and other at the figure's left shoulder. Daggers in hand, the creature below poked forward and sliced back at the figure's left Achilles tendon. The creature at the shoulder plunged its knife into the figure's left jugular.

Both were shocked to see that their attacks scrapped against the metallic sections of the figure. Huntsmen would usually leave sections of their body exposed between thick armor. Due to the low visibility, the assumption by the creatures only revealed the low light that emanated from the helmet of the figure.

The figure's right metal and leather glove reached at his shoulder to grab the creature at the forehead and yanked it off. It scrambled like a frenzied rodent, biting and scratching but doing no damage. The figure then dropped the creature for him to punt the creature back first into a tree.

A sword unsheathed from the figure's belt as his right hand swiped backward to behead the creature at his ankles.

Iron poured out of them as the creature toppled into the grass. The wounded creature at the base of the tree looked up at the figure. Of the little natural light, there was a grey armor with dark brown leather underneath. Bevor armor did not stick out but was underneath the helmet. Barbuta in design with a reinforced forehead, broken horns at both side of the temples, and a metal face grill down to the figure's chin. The entire body was covered in armor with secure leather straps. His left arm has a small round shield with two crescent moons as décor in the center.

The creature grimaced and growled, before it decided to get back on its feet, the figure coldly approached. Exhausted from the throw, the creature struggled as the figure's boot came went down on its stomach. Baring teeth at the pain, it grinded them so hard blood spewed out of the gums. There was so much force behind the boot, it was fruitless for the creature to have the raw strength to get back up. Soon enough, with no broken skin, several organs pressed back at the creature's throat.

"Stay in your holes." A deep and male tone grumbled as he lifted his foot up and stomped on the creature. Iron spurted out and covered his right boot. "Goblin."

Witnessing the cruelty, other goblins rallied together in opposition to the figure. He lifted his head up and sheathed his sword and drew a wooden and hardened club from his belt. Flakes of dried blood chipped off, as he approached. In the darkness, the reflection of the low light revealed 14 glints of light in total.

"Seven." The figure grumbled as he lifted his left forearm upward to deflect a small arrow. Two goblins in the back were armed with bows and arrows. Crude in design from tree broken branches. The brush of wind breezed through the air as several arrows came from the Goblin back line. The other five goblins were armed with daggers and clubs.

Like rodents, these creatures festered and scowled. Three goblins charged forward, the figure brushed his club to his right to crack a goblin in the jaw. It went into the grass and looked at the figure. The skin split open at the broken jaw, the low mouth hung loose and reeked of iron. It fruitlessly attempted to put its jaw back in place. "Eight."

Two more arrows flew at the figure. The figure blocked one but the other went to his left pauldron, and the tip of the arrow spun rapidly until it landed in the grass. The figure put his club in his left hand. At the forearm, he yanked out several small stilettos. He tossed one forward and struck a goblin archer in the eye. It screamed and dropped to a knee. "Nine!" The other archer did not pay attention and drew an arrow. The figure sprinted forward, and the arrow flew forward and struck the figure's metal plate above his sternum. The figure then tossed a stiletto directly through the goblin archer's nose.

"Ten!" The figure tallied as he the breeze in the forest gained some speed.

The remaining two goblins witnessed their brethren slaughtered by a single human. As a group, they could dominate small groups of Huntsmen, here they watched as the figure's gaze turned to them.

"A scrawny, frail, and feeble horde." The figure grumbled. From the skittering leaves and the light echo from the figure's helmet, the goblins stood in horror. The figure glanced at the corpses at his side. The goblin with the stiletto in his nose still twitched, without wanting to worry about a wounded goblin from sneaking away. The skull caved in as blood splashed on the figure's right arm and club.

Unlike facing defeat of experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses, such lowly creatures would be allowed to run away once the most significant threat is eliminated.

Believing the figure to be distracted, both goblins went in opposite directions and ran away fast as they could. The grass behind them rustled as metal plates and leather clattered behind them. One goblin looked over its shoulder, and a rock went through the air and struck its ankle. Bones cracked and tripped. It groaned and screamed for its fellow goblin.

The other goblin did not look back as it ran as fast as it could.

The stood over the broken ankle goblin with emanating single red light in the helmet.

Tripping over a tree root, the final goblin struggled to crawl over. So fraught in fear it clawed at the bark to get over. The tree branches and leaves brushed against each other in the wind. Above the goblin, it was light the sky above was distorted and almost laughing at the goblin. The goblin's yellow eyes widened as much as it could and rarely blinked. After an eternity of running, the goblin eventually could hear flowing water. With slim hope, the goblin smiled as it could use the river to carry it downstream to escape.

It laughed as it stopped to catch its breath.

Humans have tortured his clan, murdered his family, and taken away the breeding stock! All because of a group of Huntsmen and Huntresses killed a dragon in the region. Leaving a forest free to claim territory. It could have been a new era for this goblin horde to become a clan to dominate the region! Strike FEAR into any human foolish enough to face them.

The goblin clenched a fist. Waging war against the humans will be ready.

That was until there was a tree twig that snapped behind the goblin.

Its ear twitched as the goblin took a rock and turned around. Just several feet away from where the goblin stood, was the figure that massacred the remainder of this goblin horde. The goblin panicked and jumped into the water, the figure broke from the tree line and jumped into the water as well.

The current as not fast enough to escape the figure as a leather glove thrust through the water to grab the goblin's left hand. It screamed and spat out river water. The figure lightly tugged the goblin to himself as his weight allowed him to stand in place against the light current.

Now, caught, the goblin spat and attempted to bite the figure.

No longer entertaining the thought that a goblin escaped restarting its horde. The figure then moved his free hand to wrap around the neck of the final goblin. Once that happened, he slowly submerged the goblin in the water. The green skin limbs frantically brushed through and splashed the water. The view from underneath of the fluctuating image of the monster.

A monster that served as the scourge to rid Remnant of goblins.

The wind slowed in speed while the trees and branches settled around the figure in the river. Nine seconds passed while the goblin in the water stopped moving. The figure then lifted the goblin out of the water to see if it was really dead.

Stabbing it in the heart to be sure, the figure then discarded the body into the river… perhaps it could serve as a snack for a Timberwolf deeper in the forest.

"Twelve."

The figure opened a small canteen, held it under water, exited the water, and the clouds in the night sky split apart. The gaps between trees revealed themselves as the figure scanned his surroundings. The moonlight from above bathed the figure as the blood on his armor and leather started to dry. None of it was his blood.

Several minutes later, the figure returned to the main area where he killed the goblins. On the corpses, the figure collected daggers, a sling, and a dozen useable arrows. From here, the figure opened his rucksack to take the weapons and supplies. From there, the goblin bodies were moved and piled together for wild animals to feast.

The figure walked for a half mile to find the goblin camp. Just a small tent and a campfire. These goblins did not have a home and were leaderless. What the figure did not expect, was to see a boy tied to a tree.

The boy stared at the dirt and whimpered.

The figure immediately lowered his rucksack and glanced around the wounded human. It did not appear there was an ambush by further remaining goblins if there were any. The leather and metal clad figure walked to the boy who flinched then meekly turned his head.

"Have you been stabbed?" The figure's voice muffled through the helmet.

The boy finally heard human words then lifted his head up. The Huntsman did not look away then reached for a dagger at his waist, paced to the boy's left side, and started to saw through the rope.

The boy had tan skin, no older than fifteen or fourteen. Freckles on his cheekbones, and has a fat split lip. One closed black eye and an open hazel eye. His dirty and scuffed white shirt. Calling the color white would be a compliment, in actuality, it was grey with dark brown patches of dried blood. From the crust at his upper lip, the boy must have received a series of bloodied noses during capture. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. His olive pants are held up by orange suspenders, one strap snapped at the middle, and two loose straps were at the ground. He did not have socks or boots. It must have been claimed by the goblins to use the material for clothing or weapon crafting. The pants were tattered at the kneecap downward. Must likely claw marks. Other than cuts and bruises all over his body.

"You're human?" The boy coughed.

"Yes. I just checked you for knife wounds and did not find any." The figure sliced through the middle layer of the rope. "Do not move." The concern was to not cut the boy's wrist on accident.

The boy looked over his shoulder. "Who are you?"

The dagger of the blade made it through the last several threads of rope. "Goblin Slayer."

The eyebrows of the boy narrowed and then observed the Huntsman.

"Where are the women? There should be two more that were abducted with you." Goblin Slayer remembered the quest flyer information.

"Alicia and Thistle?" The boy stared at the ground. "Dead. They… they!" The boy closed his other eye and can recall the exhaustion of crying for several days. It was like he could not cry because he lacked the energy to do so.

The Goblin Slayer grimaced as he looked over at the burnt out campfire. There were bones too large to be an animal nor goblin. The clothing of the dead women could have been repurposed to become cloth. Then he looked inside the tent to see two human skulls. "I see, time to go Oscar."

The boy did not look up. "How do you know my name?"

"Your mother hired the guild, and they sent me."

"I don't feel lucky." Oscar got on his feet and nearly lost balance.

"I see. There was nothing you could have done." Goblin Slayer opened his rucksack and took out a small water canteen. "Do not drink in large amounts. Sip it for now. When we leave the forest is when you can nourish yourself."

Oscar accepted the canteen and sipped the water. It tasted fresh to him.

Goblin Slayer allowed Oscar to be alone for several minutes while he scrounged for supplies and search for signs of more goblins. Upon learning there was no offspring of this goblin camp, the Goblin Slayer took out his knife and slashed at the tent. The Huntsman took some cloth and cut in two smaller rectangular increments. Wrapping the fabric at Oscar's ankles then used the rope to tie around the mouth of the fabric to use as shoes for the time being. Goblin Slayer suggested that he should stand in front of Oscar at all times to block incoming damage if the situation occurred.

It would take about an hour of walking until the duo could be out of the forest and back to the farmlands. Oscar was about a head shorter than Goblin Slayer but was a bit confused as to why a Huntsman would wear a helmet at night. Visibility is low enough, and a helmet could make it worse.

…Five minutes into the journey…

"Of the Goblins, did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"

"What?"

"Did they seem like they were leaderless? Make noises like they would plot an attack?"

Oscar brushed the back of his neck and thought about what the Goblins did when several of them did not beat him like a stray dog.

"There was a few more, but they did not get along. A goblin stabbed another, and the group split in half."

"This horde was desperate. Meaning they lost their first nest or were cast out. A large nest or fortress must be within the region."

"There's more of them?"

"There will always be more Goblins." Goblin Slayer's dark helmet stared at Oscar. "I have to kill them all."

That is something Oscar did not expect as an answer. A person so sure why they would come to convict himself to this line of work. Back at the farm, Oscar thought of goblins similar to rodents. There are bigger monsters like griffins, dragons, and rock eaters. Why did the Huntsman ask so much about Goblins? h

"Why couldn't you come last night?!" Oscar stopped in his tracks then shouted. "You could have saved us!"

The moons were no longer directly above the two, and the trees started to rustle. "I was in a different town dealing with their Goblins. I heard there were was a group of Huntresses that thought about taking your town's job, but the Huntresses decided to go after Beowolves instead."

"Why!?"

"Everyone has to make a living." Goblin Slayer calmly scanned their surroundings. "Blame who you will."

Through the helmet, Goblin Slayer could see defeat in Oscar's eyes and lowered shoulders. Being the only survivor when there were two young women abducted from his hometown. It would not be far-fetched to assume several adults would demand that Oscar should have traded places with those girls in death. Survivor's guilt would fester and manifest in an emotional outburst. Goblin Slayer could understand Oscar to an extent.

"Yes those girls would be used to breed more goblins, but what they had in mind for you is worse." After stepping over a tree root, the Huntsman and Farmboy found a human trail. The flattened dirt and stretch of open forest comforted Oscar. Both walked on the road.

"You heard what they would do to women, but those Goblins needed something to teach the newborns how to kill and inflict pain on humans. At the end of raids, weakened human men are maimed and are used as training vessels for smaller goblins." Goblin Slayer did not mince his words.

Oscar gasped.

"Gather yourself, you made a choice to try to help those girls from abduction. I think the adults should have done something to help." Goblin Slayer reached for his left thigh for a torch. "We are close to the farmlands, hold this while I watch for danger."

Oscar gripped the torch as once he was out of the goblin camp, the suspense of dread crept up his spine. Those goblins clawed and cackled toward Oscar on a tree. Seeing the corpses of the girls defiled and cooked over the campfire. A cold shiver went from Oscar's wrist to his toes.

They remained in silence as the Huntsman and Farmboy as they arrived back at the farmlands. Oscar greeted his mother with a loving hug while the other concern parents were horrified to hear what became of the daughters. A single mother, while an aunt and uncle rushed to Oscar demanding to know what happened at the goblin camp.

Goblin Slayer walked into a corner of the room to listen. Oscar's mother rushed to him with a blanket and let him sit down in a chair.

"After the goblins dragged us to the camp. The girls were set forth in front of the campfire. Several jumped on them and torn off their clothes. Thistle wanted to fight back while Alicia was held down…" Oscar's eyes started to water. "They had their way with the girls."

The adults in the room collectively gasped, and the aunt started to cry.

"The goblins took turns. One of them got careless and left his knife in the open. Thristle took the knife, and I assume she made a pact with Alicia. Thristle slit Alicia's throat, and Thristle stabbed herself over… and over…" The Farmhand had several tears drift down his cheek. "That happened yesterday."

The parents were in a collective state of mourning. Seeing that the goblin slaying quest complete. Goblin Slayer did not make a scene to leave but exited the house. Outside, a middle-aged man with a concerned look on his face approached the Huntsman.

"Are they dead?"

"Yes."

"Have you checked the area?"

"I can do so." Goblin Slayer offered.

"Do a sweep and you can stay in my barn tonight." The village leader commented and exhaled slowly. "Thank you."

He walked past the Goblin Slayer as he could hear the weeping from the porch. With that, the Huntsman turned to look at the tree line and decided it is time to secure the farmers' land before returning back to the Guild office. No trees and clouds above to obscure the moons from glowing on around the Goblin Slayer.


	2. Chapter 2, Speaker

**Where did all of you come from?**

Leather boots with sectioned metal plates rattled as the Goblin Slayer walked along a dirt road. Now and again, there would be travelers with carriages and horses with them. The Goblin Slayer would see the approaching people and slightly swing his arms forward to show that he will not be aggressive or confused for a highwayman. The morning sun beamed out and graced the forest and roads in sunlight.

It has been two days since the farmland goblin quest completed as Oscar remained with his mother to weather what he witnessed. The farmlands did not have footprints or stolen livestock from potential goblin scouts, so as a remedy, Goblin Slayer recommended the farms strengthen their fences. If there are signs of Goblins it is best to have all children return home before sundown and submit another quest to the Guild immediately. The adults accepted the advice without question.

Few of the farmers came out of their homes to give their thanks. The chief gave the Huntsman several days-worth of rations and water. It certainly made the walk back to the guild pleasant, the helmet shielded Goblin Slayer's eyes from the sun's rays to clearly tell what was in front of him. The traders and people smiled when they walk past each other.

The rucksack at his back, Goblin Slayer continued on the journey back to the guild office to complete his report. No significant sign of trouble for the half day journey.

At the Guild Office, Five hours later

The Guild Office remained in the center of a city within the Vale Kingdom, Signal was the name of the city. About thirty or miles southwest from a small community called Patch. A region known for its livestock.

Inside the office was a large waiting room with five dining tables and chairs for various different multi-membered parties to gather for conversation or share meals. The architecture of the building was meant to appear pleasing and official as possible to the eye. The walls were of concrete with bricks outlining doorways. The furniture was of good quality, and everyone is expected to respect guild property. The windows had rectangular designs with cyan blue curtains. The front desks were of refined carved wood meant to endure wear and tear. As well provide a small library in the back to give advice on survival techniques, and bestiary books for Guild approved Hunters and Adventurers. In the front entrance, it was wide enough to have at least one hundred occupants in line to accept quests or for citizens to submit quests.

The guild wanted to be welcoming as possible to sort out small issues that the government could not commit the resources to resolve. Over the past seventy years or so, the privatization of quests and citizen assistance have helped the Kingdom on the home front. Although, not everyone can afford guild assistance because simple work seen below some mighty Hunters and Adventurers.

Forty men and women waited patiently until there would be a posting of all upcoming quests. Every two weeks, the guild will accumulate quests and bounties for all Adventurers and Huntsmen/Huntresses to accept. Adventurers were paid for Clearing quests of dungeons or regions, while the Hunters would take Kill quests on beasts that harass citizens.

"Hey, there's my crimson goddess." A young man winked from the Guild's front door. He was in his early twenties and reasonably tall. The Adventurer had combed back orange hair with his muscular cheeks in full view. Dressed entirely in large metal plates with golden trims, gaps at his joints along with black layered clothing underneath. His chest plate had a golden bird extend its wings outward. A red sash rested around his waist. At his shoulder rested an arms-length refined mace. The handle had a black fabric grip, and the rest of the weapon mirrored the Adventurer in color scheme.

"Hi… Cardin…" The front desk Guild employee sighed.

Cardin had a companion beside him who was a buxom young woman. Her clothing emphasized her assets and swayed her hips. However, she did not care to make idle conversation and split from Cardin to find a separate table to smoke a cigarette.

"I had to fight several gorgons in a dungeon quest. It was difficult you know, if they lock eyes with you for several seconds they turn you to stone. I had to constantly run around and use the reflection off my mace to fight them!" Cardin set his elbow down on the front desk in front of the employee. "So I made sure to crush their heads so they couldn't hurt anyone else in the future when dead."

"Oh, that's nice." The guild employee commented.

"Yeah, all that work tuckered me out." Cardin rolled his left shoulder back. "I think dinner-"

Before Cardin could present his offer, the guild employee tapped a small vial on the front desk. It was of a glass exterior with a green label on the side. "We have developed a new energy potion if you would like to try a sample."

Cardin looked down at the vial… grabbed it and drank it all in one go. There must have been some sort of spices meant to help with the taste but could battle for digestion. His throat burned and the bitter taste of dirty and ragged wool. As the fluids progressed down his throat, he nearly gagged several times from the sample. Although the drink was unpleasant, the same lovely smile from the guild employee remained the same. There was no way Cardin could say no.

"I'll take three…"

"Thank you, I will have the large vials distributed with your next payment."

Cardin meekly smiled. The front guild doors open again as a dozen or so Huntsmen, Huntresses, and Adventurers looked at the door. There, in grey metal plates with grim and leather underneath, Goblin Slayer revealed himself. Shoulders always perched up and walk like he is on a mission, several the Hunters and Adventurers whispered among themselves.

"I heard that he hates women." An Adventurer whispered to her comrade. Both looked on with concerned stares while Goblin Slayer walked to the front desk.

The guild employee looked up and smiled. Cardin looked over his shoulder to see Goblin Slayer approach.

"Hey, if you don't-" Cardin groaned.

"Hello again, Goblin Slayer!" The guild employee beamed a smile as she lightly bowed.

"I completed the quest." Goblin Slayer turned his helmet at Cardin. "Include a note the farmlands paid in full."

"Right." The guild employee wrote a small note to herself. The young woman with combed ember red hair that is tied into a braid to rest on her right shoulder. Not all of her hair was forced in the braid, several loose strands would be allowed to be loose at her forehead. In a white long dress shirt, and above the shirt is a no dark-blue sleeve vest snapped together with a red gem at the collar. For legwear, she has a black skirt that stops a foot above her ankles. Her ankles reveal a black pantyhose and black heels meant to help her appear taller. This was considered to be the standard guild workwear for those in charge of organization and paperwork. At her left shoulder was a small clip-on name tag, which read, 'Pyrrha Nikos.'

"Have the new quests been posted?" Goblin Slayer looked down at the desk to see that his signature was required to complete the documentation.

"My co-workers will post them in several minutes." Pyrrha calmly took the paper away. "How was the farmlands quest?"

"I was able to find a survivor and learned there might be another horde migrating south." Goblin Slayer opened his rucksack and set a quarter of his earnings down for Pyrrha to claim. "I would like the usual."

"Already have that prepared." Pyrrha coyly nodded. There is a small bundle was flint stones, potions, and small equipment.

"Thank you." Goblin Slayer set the bundle inside his rucksack and wandered off to one of the couches in the back of the room. He sat down, rucksack resting on his legs and lowered his head.

Cardin turned to Pyrrha. "Does he always sleep over there?"

"Yes, he usually waits for the rush to end before accepting a new quest." She turned to the Huntsman. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No, have a good day." Cardin stared at the Goblin Slayer with one eyebrow-raising. 'What is so special about that guy? All he does is hunt low-level creatures…' Several thoughts whirled around his mind as he sheepishly sat down next to his companion. In the next ten minutes, one of the employees posted the quests as most of the Hunters and Adventurers went to claim the highest paying jobs. However, before anyone could get a particular quest, they have to get their guild rank approved and then write a confirmation report before setting out.

Goblin Slayer caught a glimpse of the excitement as his vision blurred and drifted back into sleep.

Two hours later

"Hello?" A deep masculine voice called out. "Hello?"

Goblin Slayer's eyes opened up to see the Guild office bathed in the evening orange glow. In front of him stood three people and each dressed in light blue robes. A man and two women, there was something off about them. Goblin Slayer leaned his head up to see Pyrrha with a concerned look beside them.

"We have come here to make a request for your services." One of the robed women spoke up. "There is a temple recently discovered and we would like some assistance on clearing it out."

"Will there be Goblins?"

"Yes."

"I need to stop at Patch to gather some equipment, and I will be ready for the temple." Goblin Slayer stood up and used his right arm to lift up his rucksack.

"Wait!" The other robed woman spouted.

"Hm?" Goblin Slayer slightly tilted his helmet.

"We're going to assist you on the matter. We can-" The first woman directed her arm to her friends.

"No women." Goblin Slayer shouldered his bag. "Failure would mean a fate worse than death."

The robed young man chuckled. "Humph, how sad to travel a hundred miles to find out the famed Goblin Slayer is an egomaniac." Goblin Slayer got a good look at the young man.

A young man with messy indigo hair. Strangely enough, his eye color were of a similar shade of purple to his hair. Under his eyes were dark bags. Athletic wise, he evidently appeared to be nimble but not refined for extreme athleticism. Under his lips were a row perfectly shaped teeth as he reached over and rubbed the back his head.

"So, you're Speakers?"

"That we are, what is it to you?" The boy stared into Goblin Slayer's helmet.

"Nothing, if you want to help me with the temple feel free to follow. Your friends, they cannot come."

"How rude!"

The young man shrugged. "If that is what it takes, I can agree to those terms."

"Now wait for a second! You are NOT the one in charge to make that call!" One of the young man's companions tugged his shoulder.

"It's we get the expert's help, or we do it ourselves." He brushed her hand off his shoulder. "Just tell the boss that I am going to help. If we don't come back, then you can try again. Got it?" The young man turned to Goblin Slayer. "I met your conditions."

"I see." Goblin Slayer glanced at Pyrrha. "Have they filed the requirements?"

"Yes." Pyrrha held the paper out and a pen.

"If we leave now, we can make it to Patch by midnight."

"If that helps us. I am fine with it." The male Speaker turned to his friends. "I will write a letter to you when we're done."

"You better!" The women stood aside while the Speaker and Goblin Slayer walked by them.

"That Goblin Slayer better be good for the money." One of the women Speakers grumbled.

Pyrrha frowned then flicked one of the girls in the head. "He will get the job done and not complain about it."

"Hey."

From there the Guild office's front door closed. Outside, the Speaker spent a moment scanning Goblin Slayer's appearance. Everything about him screamed mobility and fight at close range. The sling at Goblin Slayer's belt must mean he has to scavenge rocks to use as projectiles.

"Been killing goblins long?"

Goblin Slayer did not turn to Speaker. "Been killing Goblins for five years now." His voice muffled through the helmet in the outside.

"Wow, that's not bad." The Speaker shrugged. "Sorry about the ladies earlier, people do not tend to trust Speakers. It conditioned them to a bit moody."

"You talk like you're an outsider."

"I am, but they welcomed me when I did not have a home." The Speaker put his hands in his pockets.

"Are you rested enough to be active in the temple?" Goblin reached into his rucksack and took out an energy potion. "It's to help for the walk."

"Thanks." The Speaker accepted the potion and popped the lid off. The smell did not give him much excitement, but he drank it. Once he swallowed, the Speaker grimaced and had his left hand in a chest beat his chest. "That's _bitter_."

"It tastes better the more you drink it." Goblin Slayer cocked his head.

Speaker and Goblin Slayer walked for several hours as the moons rose from the horizon. The roads were empty, and there was no storm clouds above and no gentle breeze. However, the Goblin Slayer stopped, and Speaker did the same. Goblin Slayer tapped Speaker's shoulder then directed him to his right to a tree. Both moved with haste to the trees. From there, the two pressed their backs on separate trees.

Once the two made little noise, there was a rustle in the distance. A group of dark shadows appeared in the distance. The moonlight made it easier for Speaker to peek out to see down the road. There six of them in total, and no torches or horses. It has been several hours since Goblin Slayer and Speaker saw another traveler pass them.

"We know you're out there!" A feminine voice called out.

Speaker frowned as he looked at Goblin Slayer, and he gestured to stay put.

"Why would you tell them we're out here!?" A comrade to the voice scolded.

From there, the group approached, among them there was a slight amount of green light that outlined the figures. It was a defense spell that was used among the group. A two-handed ax came up and rested at fourth figure's shoulder.

"Better come out now, you don't want to die tired now, would you?" Another voice called out, this time masculine.

Speaker narrowed his eyes as he looked at Goblin Slayer who drew his sling and picked up a rock.

"You asked for this!" The first voice bellowed in the distance while several pairs of feet brushed against the road. Metal weapons in hand and more flashing lights coming from two figures that remained in the distance.

"Detection!" The woman called out.

From there, Goblin Slayer flinched as two arrows struck the tree he hid behind, and he winced then twirled his sling to throw a rock back. It hit one of the male attackers who was wearing a chest plate but not much else regarding armor. They got to the trees which forced Speaker and Goblin Slayer to retreat to find a defendable position. Around them, they could hear the shuffling grass and weapons of their attackers.

"Just come out now and present your goods. We will allow you to live!" A voice shouted out.

"Bandits…" Speaker mumbled as an arrow went over his shoulder.

Goblin Slayer reached into his rucksack and tossed a sheathed knife to Speaker to catch. After a solid minute of running, there was a grass clearing ahead of Goblin Slayer and waved at Speaker to follow.

Both made it out into the middle and following Goblin Slayer's lead to duck their heads down into the grass. It would be too troublesome for the bandits to search the area. Goblin Slayer exhaled slowly than rolled to his back. "We can't lose them due to detection magic."

"I know, give me a moment," Speaker whispered. He whispered a sentence to himself and then waved his arm. Once that happened, a brush of wind combed the tall grass.

"Hmm." Goblin Slayer thought out loud.

"Their detection is disabled." Speaker rolled on his back.

"It will be enough." Goblin Slayer nodded. "Stay here."

He crawled through the grass and followed the voices of the bandits. Eventually, the Goblin Slayer discovered a leg of one of the larger bandits who had a two-handed hammer. In the moonlight, there was dried blood at the edges. From the clothing and how he was poorly dressed, this man must have killed several travelers. Goblin Slayer tugged at the leg of the bandit to make him fall. Before he could call out for help, a knife pressed to his throat.

"Why are you attacking us?"

The bandit snickered. "Easy pickings."

"Protection!" A ray of light flashed off the bandit as a spell caster bandit noticed the large bandit go down. Goblin Slayer closed his eyes as he shoved the knife forward to see that it struck empty air. A wall of light was between him and the bandit.

Among the group, there was a young man with a white staff and smiled at Goblin Slayer on the other side of the light barrier.

Speaker stood up and jogged beside Goblin Slayer.

"I think they are here to kill us." Speaker took a slow deep breath. "I can punch a hole through that barrier, but after that, I cannot use any more magic for a while. I exhausted most of my limit."

"Okay, here." Goblin Slayer took out several small round objects and a matchbox out of the bag then dropped it to the ground. "Throw these in their direction. No need for direct hits."

Speaker looked at the objects to tell they must have been explosives or contain gas substances. "Right. I will now summon the spell." Speaker's lips moved, but it was in such a soft tone that Goblin Slayer could not hear the words.

The light protection wall faded as the bandit archer on the other side drew an arrow. A hole was made as Goblin Slayer jumped through and drew his short sword. The archer fired, and Goblin Slayer raised it in time to deflect. The barrier faded completely as Speaker tossed the first bomb. It blew up to make a small cloud of smoke expand, hiding Goblin Slayer. Speaker now in the open had three bandits with weapons approach him. Meanwhile, he frantically attempted to light another bomb.

From the smoke, several daggers flew out and struck the Speaker's attackers in the back. One bounced off their armor, and the other blades went through the exposed sections. One of them had a knife stick out of his lower back as he turned around to pull it out.

The archer prepped another shot as a rock went through the air as a rock flew and hit his shooting hand. He let go of the string which dropped the arrow. Not enough time could be spent on picking up the arrow, so he reached for a new quiver not before Goblin Slayer broke through the smoke and with the pommel end of the blade, struck the archer in the forehead. He dropped to the ground until Goblin Slayer stomped on the person's stomach to cause the archer to hug his abdomen.

The spell caster was shocked at the resolve of the Huntsman and called out for help.

The bandit with the ax showed up and lifted up for a downward strike. Before the attack could complete, Goblin Slayer ducked in and use the blade end of the sword struck the bandit's wrist. Deep enough to cause him to lose his grip thus the ax.

Goblin Slayer's anger looked at the spell caster who shivered in place. From the clothing, the bandit was no older than his mid-teens. He dropped his staff then raise his arms.

"Stop _attacking_ us." Goblin Slayer growled reached the staff then snapped it in half.

"Hey, Huntsman!" A bandit called from the field.

The Huntsman punched the spell caster in the throat so he could not use any more magic for the time being. Then in front of him, the remaining three bandits were in a line. One of them had Speaker at knifepoint. The bandit that had a knife in his back held the rucksack.

"So, drop your weapons or the mage gets it!"

Goblin Slayer walked through the grass with both hands up. "Do not make _any_ moves you will regret."

"Oh, I think we are past that." The hostage-taker bandit lashed back. "Now remove your remaining weapons, and there will not be any more trouble."

Speaker frowned and struggled against the bandit's grip for his arms. Both sides watched the other as the ax bandit in the back was furiously attempting to wrap his arm to stop the bleeding.

The grass remained still as darkened lines carved through the disturbed meadow. Goblin Slayer had his sling but no time to save Speaker when the situation came down to it.

"So I get it that you guys like to be highwaymen?" Speaker asked.

Of the three remaining bandits, one of them was a woman, and she snickered. "Easiest job there is."

"Your friend over there is about to piss his pants." The wounded bandit taunted.

"Quiet all of you!" The leader tightened his grip on Speaker.

"That's it. I win." Speaker looked down to see the knife at his neck tremble. He moved his arms away and move the bandit's arm out of the way. From there, he turned around to see the three bandits without the glint in their eyes. "Now, walk to your friends like good bandits."

The three bandits struggled and moved in unison to out of the clearing. Goblin Slayer knife in hand walked to Speaker.

"I know it's strange, but it only works when I am spoken to, not when I force it." Speaker raised his arms. "It only works on humans, but if I can learn other languages, it works."

Goblin Slayer did not talk back and watched the bandits congregate.

"We don't have long, it works only for five minutes at most." Speaker followed the bandits.

Goblin Slayer and Speaker took rope the bandits owned and tied them all around a large tree. Goblin Slayer checked their clothing for hidden weapons and removed all of them and set their dropped equipment in a small pile. He did not steal anything even though there was some useful equipment the bandits owned.

Speaker stared the bandits. "Why did you not want to kill them?"

"I kill Goblins, not humans." Goblin Slayer saw the large bandit drift in and out of sleep. "Can your ability affect goblins?"

"No, I've tried, and that lead to several other Speakers getting hurt." He crossed his arms. "That is why we asked for your help."

"I see."

Speaker and Goblin Slayer watched the bandit tree on opposite sides for several hours. There were attempts to break out of the rope, but Speaker would use his ability to make them zone out for Goblin Slayer to retighten the rope. Eventually lawmen on horseback arrived when there were reports of bandits. Impressed with the handiwork the officer in charge congratulated Goblin Slayer and added that he would send a letter informing the Guild he removed a small bandit group.

Speaker lightly laughed to himself when Goblin Slayer received all the credit. To prevent further praise, Goblin Slayer stated that it was a team effort to remove the bandits. The officer in charge acknowledged the statement and his men tied the bandits behind their horses to make them walk to the next town for trial.

It was now early morning of the violet blue sky by the time Goblin Slayer and Speaker reached Patch. Speaker was too tired to pay attention to the minor details of the town as they approached a livestock farm. Goblin Slayer rented a shack to live in and offered Speaker a sleeping bag.

Speaker accepted the offering and allowed a corner to use in the meantime. However, Goblin Slayer had a personal task to take care of first. Which was to check for signs of goblins around the area he lived.


	3. Chapter 3, Home

A young woman yawned as she lifted her arms up to stretch, the season was late-spring, so the climate allowed her to sleep without clothes. Her skin embraced the nipping air as the blankets were set aside for her to stand up. Bright golden hair drifted off her shoulders then down her back. Outside her window, the young woman can hear footsteps of someone familiar.

Although it could be strange for most, it was comforting to hear the sand split apart under pressure. Bare feet touched the floor then approached a dresser for her undergarments. Once she got a shirt on, the woman walked to her window and opened it.

About ten feet away, Goblin Slayer was kneeling down and had his back to the house but can hear the window open.

"Good morning!" The woman leaned out, crossed her arms and rested her body on the window. "Another morning stroll?"

"Yeah." Goblin Slayer moved a small brush of grass over to see if the dirt was disturbed by non-humans. Livestock would be the exception of course. In the distance, a cow bellowed a long 'moo.'

"Sunny today." The woman looked over the fields to see a cow graze on the grass. "Is Uncle awake?"

"I do not know." Goblin Slayer stood up and grabbed the wooden fence. With some force, he shook it to test if it was still resistant to strain. The post did not move for Goblin Slayer respond with a content nod.

"I wonder if he will bawk at you again."

"That's not nice." Goblin Slayer walked to the next post to test its durability.

The woman's lips lifted slightly to the side. "You hungry?"

"You can prepare something for me to warm up later. I have someone with me involved for a dungeon clearing."

The woman stood up and slightly widened her eyes. "Oh? You build a party?"

"No, he's my employer." Goblin Slayer turned to the woman.

"I may need to go to town later to make a delivery, will you be able to come?"

Goblin Slayer crossed his arms. "No, I need sleep and will not wake up until the afternoon."

"Alright, so you better clear your plate before you go!" The woman pointed her finger at Goblin Slayer. There were a determined posture and stern stare.

"I see." Goblin Slayer nodded.

The woman leaned back then gave a single wave to Goblin Slayer. He turned away from the window and proceeded to continue his routine to check the perimeter of the livestock farm.

About thirty feet away from land lord's house, there was a chicken coup. Inside, a young black and white spotted chicken clucked and sprinted at Goblin Slayer. It bawked then tilted its head.

Goblin Slayer's darkened helmet turned to the bird, and gloved hand brushed from the back of the head and down to its tail feather. The bird rubbed the tip of its beak at the tip of the boots. The chicken clucked and walked behind him.

It would take about twenty minutes to an hour for Goblin Slayer to complete the morning routine. The time difference depended entirely if a section of the fence was loose in some capacity, the Huntsman would borrow several tools to strengthen barriers. For this day, the fence was in stable enough and no tracks of Goblins, meaning that Goblin Slayer can take comfort Qrow's home is relatively safe.

The chicken, on the other hand, would be able to find some crunchy grubs during the patrol. Primarily large black bugs that would release a small odor. When the chicken and Goblin Slayer returned to the shack, the chicken bawked and sprinted back to the other chickens.

The woman started her morning chores as the shack door opened to show Speaker silently sleeping with one arm over his head and the other used as a pillow. Goblin Slayer tugged the door slowly and closed latched it shut. He slowed his movements so his equipment would not rattle.

The shack had a window too, but it was nailed shut. The shelves were filled to the brim with various tools and equipment from different jobs. In the corner of the shack, nine books were stacked in neat order.

To be within something familiar, Goblin Slayer calmly unlatched several straps of his helmet and removed it. Due to the occasions of prolonging sweat there will be helmet hair. His bangs spiked up, and loose sections of hair stood up. The orange outline of the window let some light seem in to show the Goblin Slayer's short messy blond hair. The nap of his neck was pale while he unstrapped his metal plates. Every plate was placed neatly and softly in respect for Speaker's sleep. Then from there, Goblin Slayer removed his leather shirt and set in the corner of the room. All that remained was a long sleeve blue shirt, black leather pants, and black socks.

He laid down and stared at the ceiling and watched the small beam of light from the window move across the shack. He exhaled calmly and closed his eyes. Several minutes passed for Goblin Slayer to fall asleep.

Before the light left the shack, the beam reflected off a shield with two crescent moons. It was cracked at the left corner but cleanly polished. In front of the shield, golden trim and blue sword hilt rested in front. The blade section of above the hilt, too short to be practical.

Relics.

Seven Hours Later

 _Bunk bunk bunk!_

Someone knocked the shack door, and Speaker shook his head at the noise, then used his shoulder to lean up. Goblin Slayer removed his blanket and opened the door to for the blonde woman to greet him. Speaker was only able to see the back of Goblin Slayer's head.

"Food is ready, bring your friend."

"Yes." Goblin Slayer replied as the woman looked over his shoulder.

"I made extra, wake up." The woman clicked her tongue and pointed her index finger at Speaker. "Be sure to not complain about the quality!"

"What?" Speaker yawned then stared rolled to his side.

The shack door proceeded to close as Goblin Slayer directed his attention at the equipment, took the helmet and set it over his head. Several straps drooped but he latched them in place. That was done in relative darkness while Speaker rubbed the crust out his eyes. After several minutes, Goblin Slayer was in full armor.

Speaker straightened his robe, took out a personal water pouch, and cupped his hand. The water seeped out, and his palm brushed down his forehead. "Gonna bring anything extra to deal with bandits?"

"No." A belt with sheathed knives latched at the waist as Goblin Slayer got down to his knees to adjust the boots. "Unless you want to add the amount of weight you want to carry. There could be a few treasures for you to take back."

Speaker stood up and raised his arms to the ceiling.

"Before I forget to mention, don't say anything about the bread."

Speaker set his hands at his lower back and leaned forward to relieve tension under his shoulder blades. "Whatever you say."

Speaker followed him into the main house. The door opened to reveal the blonde woman from earlier.

She had a gray jacket over an orange shirt top. Why she would wear layers in this season, did not make sense to Speaker. However, he could not judge because he arguably wore more clothing than she does. Both sleeves of her jacket were tide back and revealed her forearms and wrists. The pants she wore must have been work only because at the kneecaps, and other sections had tears and holes. For added measure, she had clean indoor shoes. "Just give me a moment."

"Take your time." Goblin Slayer walked to the dining room in view of the kitchen. A pot was set over a kitchen fire as she brought a meal to the table.

"Shouldn't we help?" Speaker asked.

"Not sure, she says it _adds_ to the drama if she brings it." Goblin Slayer pulled out a chair. "Whatever that means."

Speaker almost wanted to snicker. The young woman's clothing did serve her justice in appearance. The jacket was definitely too big for her, but the shirt did explain that she bear fruit that some trees could not feasibly compete against. Supple but not too distracting. The same can be repeated about the rest of her stature.

She was not alone because of the noise from the main hallway. Spiked jet black hair with grey strands mixed within. The man's eyes were of a dark red, but not quite blood red. Along the jaw was some stubble. In a grey long sleeve shirt with black pants. Build wise, the man was no slacker and could put up a fight if the situation demanded it. Around his neck, a small pendant in shape of a star constellation. Speaker could not tell from which culture the pendant is supposed to represent.

"Hello there." The man had a low tone to his voice like it weathered a decade of alcohol.

"Hello." Speaker was at the table.

"May I ask who are you?"

"I am with the Speakers." He said while the woman set a stack of bowls on the table. Goblin Slayer grabbed the stack and individually set them apart.

The man rolled his eyes. "Look, I do not know if the Guild likes to talk to you Adventurers in titles all the time. But here, we operate with names."

Goblin Slayer split silverware apart.

"Fine." Speaker offered his hand. "Hitoshi Shinso."

"Call me Qrow." Qrow looked over his shoulder. "I will assume you're acquainted, Yang?"

"No, not at all." Goblin Slayer went to the kitchen to take a small platter to assist Yang to the food table. The two set the food on the table. A small pot of vegetable stew, a sliced loaf of bread, cornbread, boiled potato, butter, and tea. Speaker reached the ladle to as Yang held her hand up to stop him. From there, he looked at Qrow to see both arms set on the table with his head down and eyes closed.

Then it finally struck Speaker. Unlike those of similar households that would speak out loud in their requests and thankfulness. He did not have the same belief of Qrow but did lower his head in respect.

Goblin Slayer did not move with both hands in his lap.

Yang mimicked her uncle and crossed her arms, her hands reached over to cup against her elbows. The scent of the food, it tickled and beckoned Speaker to hope Qrow will finish his requests and mental statements. For about ten seconds, everyone at the dinner table remained silent. When Qrow looked up, Yang distributed cups.

"Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now." Yang set her forearm against the corner of the table and furiously giggled. Each of them dished out a bowl full of stew. Speaker, to be kind to his hosts portrayed a light smile.

Goblin Slayer lifted a small spoonful of broth, tomato, and sliced potato.

"How do you tell the difference between a frog and a horny toad? A frog says, 'Ribbit, ribbit' and a horny toad says, 'Rub it, rub it.'" Yang smiled at her bad joke and looked around the table.

Qrow looked away with his alcohol flask to his lips and Speaker on the opposite side couldn't hold his spoon correctly as he did not want to laugh out of principal but failed. Yang turned to Goblin Slayer who swallowed some food but did not visibly laugh.

"I know there will be one that will get you eventually." Yang narrowed her eyes and dished herself a spoonful of the stew. "So, you said your name was Shinso?"

"Yes."

"Jaune never brings someone home."

"I did not have to."

"Well, we met yesterday." Speaker took a piece of bread and split it in half. ' _Did she just call Goblin Slayer, John?_ '

"Is the Guild about to diversify the talent? Because when I walk to the guild with Jaune, there are usually spellcasters with staffs. So I think it is a bit strange to see someone like you among the Huntsmen." Yang turned to Qrow. "Wha'chu think?"

"Useful idiots," Qrow replied. "Always listening too much about stores of glory and never about those who die."

"It's their choice, some can handle the danger and those who cannot, usually they quit before something worse happens." Goblin Slayer dipped his piece of bread in the broth.

' _Not something you hear at the diner table._ ' Speaker bit into the bread, once he did, there was something off in the taste. The stamina potion was bitter, and the bread was nowhere near as terrible, but is it salty! Enough to dry out someone's lips if they ate a loaf of the stuff. The butter and the salt gave the bread a warped taste to it, unnatural but not enough to spit out. ' _That helmet can hide any expression_.'

At the table, Goblin Slayer would be sure to eat most of his bread. Qrow, on the other hand, would often take a bite out of the bread then immediately take a swig of alcohol to sooth the taste. Yang on the other hand happily consumed some bread and continued with the idle conversation among the men. At the local tavern and bar, there is a new barmaid that is employed there, and Qrow does not like that she tries to get him to purchase the expensive brands. Goblin Slayer would describe the view of the different locations he ventured, but nothing of significance.

' _Goblins probably aren't something that makes for pleasant chatter._ ' Speaker observed the three of them. During different moments of the conversation, Speaker would reply and say nothing of substance. All he ever does among the Speakers is practice the different phrases and spells and manage his _Brainwashing_ to not make himself a threat to his peers. As an outsider, it would be best if he did not go into complete detail about the Speakers because they can exile him if they choose.

After a half hour of food and conversation, Goblin Slayer neatly arranged his dishes. Speaker did the same. Qrow walked to the kitchen to open a new bottle of alcohol to enjoy the afternoon. Everyone brought the dishes to the kitchen.

Speaker and Goblin Slayer walked out as there were some clouds overhead. The journey could have bouts of shade, however they would need to leave soon. Goblin Slayer approached his shack and opened the door. Directed at the west, the sunlight beams can blast through.

"Is the temple wide or small?"

"Enough for a cabin and horses to go through."

"So it's a large ruin." Goblin Slayer walked to a wardrobe and opened it. Inside there were a dozen short swords, pummels, knives, arrows, slings, and small round objects. Once the town would require a militia, Goblin Slayer could provide the arms for twenty or so people. He took out a belt that hung in the center. It had six daggers sheathed. On the left door of the dresser had several clubs, most were wooden and several metallic. Goblin Slayer took a wooden club with a wrist loop, and the handle was black. The bottom of the wardrobe had an arrangement of satchels of explosives and chemical weapons.

In the back of the wardrobe was a pile of quivers and bolts for a crossbow.

Now with some explosives, spare torches, disposable daggers, and two short swords. The Goblin Slayer prepared for the long haul. Speaker watched from the doorway.

"Do you have any armor or something to prevent goblins from stabbing you?"

"I have a protection phrase."

"Save the abilities," Goblin Slayer pulled out the drawer from the base of the wardrobe. "You can borrow this."

The Huntsman tossed a long sleeve chainmail skirt to Speaker. He grabbed it in time and held it out. With the difference in heights and build, the chainmail will be slightly big for Speaker. However from the layers of clothing, it should not be an issue, and a chest plate was tossed over.

"Chainmail helps when you get slashed at the chest and arms. But it doesn't stop piercing attacks. If you want lighter, I have a studded chest guard to help you resist arrows."

"I'll use that." Like that, Speaker set the chainmail and studded chest piece, forearms, and leg pieces. Not going to absorb as much punishment compared to Goblin Slayer, but it will at help him survive common goblin attacks.

Once the equipment was packed and dressed, Goblin Slayer held his rucksack by one strap. "Ready."

Goblin Slayer and Speaker left the shack to see Yang stand at the porch waiting to see them off. Once the two were out, she walked over. The farmhand bumped Goblin Slayer's shoulder. "Be careful out there."

"I always am." He nodded.

"How do crazy people go through the forest?" Yang set up. "They take the psycho path."

"Humph" Goblin Slayer looked away. "Okay, that was a good one."

"Hey you, Shinso."

"Yeah?" Speaker put his hands in his pockets.

"Be sure to watch Jaune's back, and if something happens. I'm coming after you." Yang cracked her knuckles.

Speaker did not take the threat to heart. "I'll take your word for it."

The two turned away from the house while Yang watched for several seconds before entering the house. Qrow was in the kitchen setting the dishes to wash and used a cloth to wipe down the bowls.

"You know I only keep him here because he's able to pay rent." Qrow set the bowl down. "I know you might feel responsible for what happened in the past, but he's not sane."

"It's not like that," Yang walked next to her uncle "He is there for anyone that needs the help."

"Hmm." Qrow shook his head. "Be ready when he does not come back, you've seen the scars."

Yang lightly pressed her fist against his shoulder. "He always comes back."

Qrow laughed, and the two worked together to finish cleaning the dishes and talked about what they could do on their own for entertainment in the future. There is a bard that will come to town tomorrow, it could be best to go together to hear some ballads. Yang can look for new clothes, and of course, that would mean that Qrow can ogle the single women.

The Journey was long, Speaker and Goblin Slayer did not talk to each other as much unless it was to reaffirm directions. The conversation did not serve a purpose between them, even on the attempts by Speaker, Goblin Slayer had little to talk about. Sure he knows all about Goblins and the Speaker did not open up about the group he served. With nothing else in common, they journeyed in silence. It required two days and until they reached one of the entrances to the temple. They rested from the evening before and arrive at in the early morning an hour before dawn.

"I get it, so when humans wake up, the Goblins return to their shelter." Speaker fanned his mouth.

"Yes." Goblin Slayer took out a small Monocular.

The entrance came out of the ground like a mound. A square stone entrance and flat stone walls with a staircase to venture into the abyss.

Goblin Slayer pressed the monocular against in front of the gap of his helmet. Hyper-aware of the danger to never remove his helmet, Speaker thought that it was a little funny to see. It's like someone pressing their glasses against the binocular with little regard to the smudging the lens.

"I see one goblin and a dog but already dead."  
Speaker kneeled beside Goblin Slayer.

"The goblins have dogs which means they have resources to spare. Why these two are dead, I do not know." Goblin Slayer unclasped a sling and grabbed a rock. "Let's go."

Speaker and Goblin Slayer approached with caution, there is the chance that a goblin could fake that it is dead and the dog was killed to further the ruse. The grass was not tall enough to hide goblins completely, and if they moved from the bushes, both men are ready to put up a fight.

It took a minute, but the two of them got to the entrance. The dog had its snout cut off, and the Goblin had its intestines spill on the stone floor. "Someone else must be here." Goblin Slayer muttered.

"A bit cruel don't you think?" Speaker murmured.

"Goblins are cruel already, I have to be worse. Make them too frightened to think about attacking humans ever again." Goblin Slayer stabbed the goblin through the heart to be truly sure it was dead. Then flicked some of the blood off his sword.

' _I need to watch him, carefully._ ' Speaker pondered as Goblin Slayer took out a torch and lit it.

The two entered the darkness.

Goblin Slayer's boots with metal plates echoed down the tunnel while Speaker's robes help to at least muffle his movement.

From the glow of the torch, and how wide they can move within the tunnels, it was strange that some civilization would want to create something so substantial for other humans. Speaker looked at the walls and saw large-scale paintings and outlines of various humanoid figures fighting against and alongside different gods. Must be from the Grand Rebirth of the world. Where thinking creatures were punished because they would think themselves equal and possibly better than the gods. Or that was what the Speakers explained their version of the beginning of time.

Goblin Slayer reflected the amount of apathy he felt by his calm stare and walk onward. The two walked in unison as they discovered a figure in the darkness. It was too large to be a goblin, but Goblin Slayer drew his club and carefully walked to the figure.

It was a being in full armor that appeared to be dead and had a sword at its hip. Goblin Slayer used his club to poke at the body and used his boot to shove it to the side.

No response.

Apparently, these goblins were not yet bright enough to place traps under corpses.

"What would a Knight be doing here?"

"Freelance, non-commissioned Adventurer." Goblin Slayer moved the body aside. "There is no rust on the armor, no stench, no blood, and not looted by goblins. Must have been sick or may have a party deeper inside."

"That can explain why the guard and dog were dead." Speaker thought out loud.

"Agreed." Goblin Slayer turned from the body.

"You aren't going to take the sword and the equipment?" Speaker kneeled down to look at the body. From the angle of the light, it only had a dark shadows form. To remove the helmet and thought of lifeless eyes and possible frenzied expression was not something Speaker did not wish to humor.

Goblin Slayer kneeled down at the body and patted it. From there, he checked the clothing to find out there were no pockets. If he was here with a party, it could be that his comrades took his equipment to press on. Goblin Slayer grumbled and moved the body to lean its back against the wall. Despite the brutal combat, Goblin Slayer thought there was dignity in how someone would die.

"I checked him for a map, and there's nothing." Goblin Slayer nodded further down the tunnel. He got back on his feet, and the two continued.

Speaker looked at the walls to see images of humans falling to the whims of the gods, and soon the various gods grew tired of their constant state of war. Once the temple is clear, Speaker will spend some time investigating the artwork.

They walked that way for ten minutes and approached an intersection of the tunnel that split into two opposite directions. Silent until-"Who are you!?" Speaker reacted by turning around, and Goblin Slayer followed his lead. From the orange light of the torch, metal clanked and scuffed where they entered. After several seconds, the armored knight they passed stood in front of them.

"Who are you?" It was like the armored man had trouble formulating the words. And the echo from within the helmet sounded hollow. Similar to Goblin Slayer, there is a muffle to his words, but from the knight, it was different.

Speaker shouted back to explain their occupations and reason to be at the temple. Goblin Slayer claimed the moment to analyze the knight. Armored entirely except for his cowhide gloves and boots. Bright nickel brass for the trims and everything else dark lavender. The clothing must be new because the gloves did not blacken over time. Usually, for members of the Guild, the larger fighters would often leave a bit of ventilation of their clothing out of personal taste. The gardbrace at the shoulders were slightly large but would slide back by several centimeters to allow ease of arm movement. Underneath the small gaps between the armor was a light grey long sleeve shirt. For Goblin Slayer, the leather armor he wears over his regular clothing is meant to hide chainmail underneath which means the knight can likely be interested in doing the same. The chest plate did not have an emblem. Below the fauld which had the bottom portion of the grey shirt come out to partly hide the cuisses at the thighs. The boots mostly like must hide a sabaton, greaves, and poleyn. It would be a wasted effort to slice at the wrist because the knight's gloves pulled over most of the vambrace. How armored the hands could be under the gloves is unknown. It could be that the gloves are that large to hide a gauntlet to protect the fingers.

"Will you prevent me from claiming the rewards of this Dungeon?" The knight clenched his fists.

"Not quite." Goblin Slayer slowly moved his hand to his hip. If the knight makes a move to attack, there will be a dagger in hand to stop him.

"Did the Speakers hire someone else?"  
"The who?" The Knight cocked his head.

"I am not sure, for all I know you're another cruel human the same as the goblins!"

"Goblins?" The Huntsman breathed in slowly and relaxed his shoulders to appear less aggressive. "We are not here to fight you, Sir Knight."

 _RAAAFFF Raaa Kaaee!_ The sound of goblins cackled from the tunnel.

Goblin Slayer lowered the torch and set it the corner of the intersection. This will allow the group to force their enemies to reveal themselves as they checked the torch and hid in the darkness around the corner.

"Wait for their approach and then ambush them." Goblin Slayer turned his back to the knight. Speaker did the same while the grumbling and growls of a goblin group came to investigate the sound of humans.

"We can fret over the details later, but now, I will call a truce until we kill this patrol. Deal?" Goblin Slayer held his hand out the knight.

"Fine." The two shook, and the three waited for the patrol… The bare feet of goblins patted against the stone floor and several of which choose to drag their weapons. The thumps and low grumbles sound like there is a hob-goblin among them. The Knight, Goblin Slayer, and Speaker mentally prepared themselves.

 **Shinso is from Boku No Hero Academia, thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4, Revenant

Claws, feet, and several goblins dragged weapons through the tunnel. Goblin Slayer turned to Speaker while they pressed their backs the wall to reduce their visibility.

"Goblins possess night vision and light will let them know humans are near." Goblin Slayer glanced at the Knight one more time. He must be a powerhouse because he is capable of holding a longsword one-handed.

"I know a spell to summon some ice shards to fight."

"I will offer assistance." The Knight's voice echoed.

"Once they get close, I will throw this." Goblin Slayer reached into the rucksack to take out a small oval shaped object. "Be ready."

The cackling and the growls stalked the darkness as they were less than fifty feet away. The light confused one of the Goblins because there was food cooked over the fire. From the sound of the patrol, there were at least nine in total including a hob-goblin.

"Ready?"

Speaker and the Knight nodded.

Goblin Slayer waited until the patrol was right on top of them. Three of the smaller Goblins were ahead of the group and investigated the fire. One of them picked up the torch and waved the light around. In their language, it must have been a joke against humans because they laughed among themselves. From the corner, several objects were thrown diagonally from the edge and hit a wall.

"Hrr?" One of the Goblins grumbled, and then it grabbed its nose as others did the same.

Goblin Slayer stepped out of the darkness as his armor glowed in the torchlight. One of the Goblins shouted at its comrades and when it turned back. A blade went through its skull as the other two lunged forward in a job.

When they did, two ice shards flew from Goblin Slayer's hips and impaled them. One of them had a shard through the stomach and pitter-pattered in place. Goblin Slayer looked down and stomped on the head.

"That's two." Goblin Slayer looked up, reached for his lower back and drew another torch and held it to the first torch. A rock came from the darkness and struck Goblin Slayer's head. Then when the new torch was lit, he tossed it in the direction of the patrol. Five goblins scattered away from the light and stayed in the darkness for an advantage. However, none of them kicked the second torch away. Even though they are in shadow, their dark outlines were visible to the humans.

Behind the patrol, the hobgoblin roared and stepped forward in front of the group. That bolstered the morale of the goblins as the smaller variants moved as a group. One of them jumped, another went for the legs, and a third released an arrow. Goblin Slayer's left arm had the arrow break the outer layer of the leather armor but did not have enough force to go deeper. Goblin Slayer raised his right hand up to grip the Goblin's left shoulder and shoved it back. The goblin struck the wall, and Goblin Slayer raised his right leg up and crushed its skull. The other Goblin noticed its comrade was killed, so it halted in its tracks.

The hobgoblin drooled as it stomped with every step. Unlike regular goblins the size of an six-year-old children. Hobgoblins share a similar height to humans, and its muscles bulged in movement. This variant of goblin survived longer than the smaller ones but slow in mental capacity. Hobs never stay in their home nest and choose to venture out to other Goblin hordes to serve as bodyguards to other nests. The thing did not have a weapon but that could because nothing was scavenged in his size yet from human society.

The hob roared at the humans while other goblins had tears drift down their eyes because of the Aroma bomb. It stepped forward as Speaker muttered several words to himself and whiffed his left arm. "Solona!"

When that happened immediately through the helmet visor, Goblin Slayer looked at his arm it was a strange feeling. Like as if the weight of his gear was slightly lighter which made it so that he could improve his movement.

"Your gear is lighter for the moment!" A goblin archer in the back brushed its eye and prepped an arrow. It was difficult to tell from the darkness, but once it touched the torch's light, the Speaker's left eye directly stared the arrow. Before it struck flesh, _TKINGT!_ Speaker opened his eyes to see the Knight's sword out and twisted the width of the blade to block the arrow.

"Watch yourself." The Knight raised his sword, and the metal clanged against the stone floor.

The hob stomped forward while Goblin Slayer's free hand took out a throwing knife and sent it to the goblin archer. The bite of the knife was enough to make the goblin fall to its knees as the others rallied around the hobgoblin.

"These goblins work as a team. Once the hob does something, the rest attack." Goblin Slayer reached for another aroma bomb.

The hob stepped forward, and the Knight mimicked it. The Knight swiped his from right to left, and the hob used its forearm to block the blade. Blood drifted down, but it was meant to make the Knight vulnerable in the counter-attack. Three goblins cackled and with their spears sprinted in then thrust the metal-tipped weapons into the Knight's joints. The Knight flinched in the attack while the goblins laughed at the assumption of another dead human. Instead, the Knight quickly yanked his sword away and stuck into the hob's forearm. In between the bones and the knight's free hand gripped his sword and yanked back. Bones cracked, and blood erupted out of the forearm.

The spear goblins were confused at the human having its limbs pierced but able to put up a fight. Two released their spears and jogged back to the group, the last spear goblin's arms were quivering as it wiggled the spear to incite pain. The hob other arm had a fist at reeled back until Goblin Slayer jumped on its back and his short sword stabbed the nap of the neck repeatedly five times until the hob dropped to its knees. The Knight positioned his longsword at the throat and slit it. The muscled creature rolled on the ground as Goblin Slayer turned around at the terrified patrol.

Speaker mumbled several words to himself as the second torch's fire shrunk and then the flames expanded. It was not an explosion but three small goblins happen to be within the radius of the expansion, and they ran around on fire. One of them bumped into a non-burning goblin. Confused at what to do, the goblin turned away to run the way it came. However, Goblin Slayer's left boot stomped at the back of the goblin leg, and the Huntsman gripped the back of its head and slammed it into the stone floor. Blood expanded and Goblin Slayer slammed the head again to be sure of the kill.

"Three."

The Knight's helmet turned to look at a goblin that stabbed him with a spear. His shoulder raised as it watched the Knight casually pull the spears out of his body. Not a speck of blood on the metal tips. Lips trembled, no laughter, and what remained the little goblin whimpering.

The Knight swiped at the goblin.

The head rolled for several seconds like a small watermelon that fell off a countertop.

"Are you okay?" Speaker waved at Goblin Slayer, who lightly tossed the rucksack to apply first aid to the Knight.

One of the goblins on fire sprinted down the hallway to reveal nothing a door at the end of the hall. The seared flesh did not help the dusty stone smell of the area which included the aroma bomb. Filled with spices, chemicals, and other unpleasant odors meant to make a goblins' eyes water. He turned away from the corpses to assist the Knight.

"Move the chest piece so we can apply pressure." Speaker crouched down.

"It's fine." The Knight brushed holes. "It's nothing. They only grazed the skin."

"If you say so." Goblin Slayer collected the three spears and used his left arm to carry the rest. "Speaker, could you go on torch duty for the time being?"

"Yeah, but this guy has a hole in his armor!"

"I've seen worse." Goblin Slayer retorted.

The Knight flicked the longsword of blood.

"Are we not going to talk about this?" Speaker's arms dropped to his side.

"About what?" Goblin Slayer gestured him to follow.

"These guys are nuts." Speaker picked up a torcher and jogged to catch up.

The light at the hall was still that of a little light, it was a like a sphere or orange emanated from the torch. It was unsettling for Speaker, it was like using your open eyes in deep and dark water. Unsure if there is anything else around you but ready to strike at any time.

"Are you okay with the truce?" Goblin Slayer did lower his guard in the question.

The Knight brushed off some dirt on his armor. "Keep to your word, and I shall return the favor in kind."

"I see." Goblin Slayer approached the door and kicked it open in case of goblins barred it from the other side. There was nothing but the smell was worse in here. Like a wave of cold air and revolting musk.

"What is this?" Speaker brought the torch into the room.

"A goblin waste heap." Goblin Slayer's helmet scanned right to left.

"Disgusting!" Speaker's free hand pinched his nose.

"Get used to the smell." Goblin Slayer stepped forward and as the light exposed the flesh of a human. It was a young woman chained to a wall as she meekly turned her head at the light. Bare skinned, streaks of dried blood, and long hair to shield her eyes of the horrors.

The Knight stepped forward, but Goblin Slayer patted his shoulder. The Huntsman pointed his sword to the roof.

Around the body of the woman were several silver strings. If the woman moved, it would trigger snap the string and have a metal bear trap unclasp from the ceiling and crush her torso. To make her suffer, the woman could not move or risk immediate death. The Knight nodded to Goblin Slayer as they approached the woman slowly.

"…Kill…" Her dry mouth trembled.

Goblin Slayer approached the woman.

"…Kill…" Her voice was clear this time.

"I understand." Goblin Slayer recognized the glint in her eyes, it was of hatred.

"…Kill…this…"

In a hole near the woman, there was the shine in the darkness. Once he got close enough, a goblin crawled out and roared at the humans. It snapped the string as Goblin Slayer slashed at its face.

The trap released.

Before the trap made contact to the woman, Goblin Slayer sprinted directly at it and used his shoulder to knock it off course then struck off to the side. It was painful, but the woman was relatively safe. She sighed once the shackles were removed by the Knight and Speaker. From there, the Speaker removed a layer of his robes to cover the woman. She coughed and appear like she was ready to drift in and out of consciousness.

"What's the plan?"

"Get her to the surface, and continue the mission." Goblin Slayer did not hesitate.

"Ma'am!" Speaker shook the woman by the shoulder. She groaned to herself as the Speaker waved at Goblin Slayer. "Water!"

From there, he took out a canteen out of the rucksack. Speaker put the water to her lips and poured the water in her mouth. It drifted off her lips, and she did not have strength. Seeing no other choice, Speaker put the canteen at his mouth and then pressed his lips against the woman's mouth.

He exhaled in his breath, and it forced the water to transfer, in the torchlight, the Knight noticed the woman was able to swallow on her own will. Speaker decided to repeat the process.

"Are you an Adventurer?" The Knight turned away from the Speaker and woman.

"No." Goblin Slayer moved a pile of human bones.

"A Huntsman I take it?"

"The Guild cares about labels, but since that role allows me to kill goblins." Goblin Slayer found a pair of pants at the bottom of a pile. The bones and dust rolled off the pants as Goblin Slayer sifted through the pockets. "I am Goblin Slayer."

"Do you go around to fight monsters?"

"My job is to kill goblins. I go where they are reported" The pants were empty-handed as the Huntsman looked around the other bits of human belongings. It is not pleasant, but there could be something to reveal what the goblins are up to in the temple.

Behind the two, Speaker's efforts bared fruit as the woman sighed finally. "…No…more…."

"She's alive, we better get moving." Speaker put the woman at his back. "Come on, the sooner we get her out of her, the better."

"Go on ahead, we will continue onward."

"No!" Goblin Slayer walked to the door. "Never split up, goblins are not smart, but they aren't fools either. Divide and conquer. We escort the woman to the surface, and we cannot leave. The moment the horde finds the bodies, they will improve their defenses."

The Knight sheathed his longsword and crossed his arms. "Sounds plausible."

Goblin Slayer was on torch duty, and the Knight stayed at the entrance to watch out for more goblins. It took twenty minutes to return to the surface, but there was bright daylight outside as they went across the field. The woman groaned and mumbled to herself. They found a secluded area of bushes to camouflage her position.

Before the group left her, the woman mumbled to Speaker.

"Wait!" Goblin Slayer stopped in his tracks to look at Speaker turn his ear to hear the woman better.

"My partner… she's still in there…" The woman laid her head back and fell into a deep sleep.

Speaker turned to Goblin Slayer.

"All the more reason for us the clear out the temple… Today."

Seeing what those green skin terrors were prepared to do. Speaker's grinded his teeth behind his lips. "I want to kill them all."

"Let's not waste time."

At the entrance, the Knight leaned to the wall with his arms crossed.

"There is another survivor. We are going back in to clear the temple." Speaker did not stop to accept an answer. Goblin Slayer did the same as the three ventured back into the darkness.

Goblin Slayer struck his torch again, and Speaker took another torch. The Knight walked behind the other two as they approached the hallway intersection. The corpses remained, and they went down the opposite direction from the waste heap hall. Goblin Slayer was on the left wall, Speaker in the middle, and the Knight on the right side.

The paintings on the stone wall did not matter. What did was to look at every large crack with suspicion. Goblins hide where they can and will use underhanded tactics to get an edge.

"All I thought of these things like rats." Speaker thought out loud.

"I did so as well." The Knight's longsword was thirsty for blood.

"Be prepared for what could lay ahead. If they are smart enough to reset that trap. They could have something else planned deeper." Goblin Slayer, however, Speaker did not notice a strange stone floor panel stick slightly out of the ground.

"Hold up!" Goblin Slayer reached for Speaker, but it was too late. Speaker's shoes pressed down on the panel, and nothing else happened.

"What is this?"

"Rule one for dungeons… check for traps… I should have told you…" Goblin Slayer took out two knives and distributed them. "It seems like nothing changed her, but this must be some form of alarm… more is going to come, and we have no cover in case there are archers. Move!"

In the hall, it would take a single volley of arrows to wipe out the trio. Tree options remained for the group, hold out and fight in the hall with nowhere to run or take cover, retreat to the entrance, or go deeper to find a large room to combat whatever challenges them. No debate was needed as Goblin Slayer, and Speaker sprinted forward to not delay encountering the goblin horde.

The Knight followed their lead.

After ten minutes of running, there was an opening to the tunnel, and the trio was able to make it out. This time, there was a wide-open gallery that had a staircase spiral in a circle. Up and down, with a skylight at the top. With the time of year, the beams of light would only beam so far down but never directly above. Six stone pillars were perfectly arranged to support the stone architecture and the staircase. Every twenty feet or so there would be a flat square that reconnects to another staircase. The process repeated for the rest of the spiral. In the middle of the spiral was nothing but open space and if one is not careful could allow them to fall to their death.

At the very bottom of the staircase was a ruin but thirty or so goblins resting, but five of them were rushing around kicking the sleeping goblins to wake up.

"They know we're here!" Goblin Slayer opened his rucksack and took out knives and set the spears down. At the bottom of the rucksack, there were the spherical objects from home.

"Goblins are mobilizing. We have high ground but outnumbered." The Knight turned to his allies. "What's the plan?"

"Okay, here use these, Speaker." Goblin Slayer tossed the rucksack. "Flint and spark are on the side. Fuse timers are set at three seconds!"

Goblin Slayer took out all the knives and set them in a small pile but arranged to be picked up without trouble. "Knight and I will be the first layer of defense. When we fall back to you, light those up."

The Knight, on the other hand, had a spare sword thrown his way.

"Swords break, best have a secondary." Goblin Slayer peeked over the edge and patted his hip to check for his club and sling. Below, one of the goblins pointed its wrecked fingers upward. There were two hobgoblins but no goblin spellcasters like a shaman. A close range engagement because their archers will have to climb like their comrades.

"How many spells you got?"

Speaker's eyebrows were slanted downward in anger. "Plenty and I can make the armor light, but that will only work in short bursts."

"It should help on the retreat. Use them so we can rally back faster!" The Knight held his longsword up.

The plan has been set, and now, the two armored men jogged down two flight of stairs and reached the second square floor. Stones from the pillar fell off and were slightly lower than chest height. Considering that goblin arrows will have to come from downward, it was more than enough cover necessary.

The goblins were roaring and were approaching in full force. From the daylight from the skylight make it visible enough that they could see without the torches.

"You're insane." The Knight shook his head.

"Goblins need to be killed and does not mean it will be convenient." Goblin Slayer lightly tossed a dagger up and caught it by the blade tip.

From below, the voices of the goblins were of fury and went around the spirals. Convinced numbers will let them win the encounter. The Knight and Goblin Slayer did not move their helmets or armor to keep a small element of surprise. They passed the spiral floor below, and in less than a minute, they will be close. Goblin Slayer had the sling out and a small pile of rocks that would be lethal for the short goblins.

The metal and wood collided to the stone floors. Until the goblins were a flight of stairs below on the square deck. Goblin Slayer leaned out and twirled his sling and tossed a rock. It struck a goblin in the head and was killed instantly. The rest spotted him as the Knight broke from cover and tossed a dagger out which landed in the eye of another goblin.

"Four!" Goblin Slayer reached for another rock.

They can overpower single goblin, but a horde will wipe them out, it is best to thin out the horde and then funnel them into a kill zone.

The Knight tossed a dagger out. After fifteen seconds the goblins were already halfway up the staircase, and six goblin archers were on the square platform aiming at them.

"Kill the ranged ones!" Goblin Slayer flung a rock that killed an archer. "Eight!"

The Knight tossed a knife but missed his mark completely. When he did a goblin head peeked over their cover. By reflex, the longsword came down and chopped the goblin's arm off. It screeched in pain as it held onto the bloody wrist as it rolled backward off the stairs knocking several other goblins down.

"Time to go!" Goblin Slayer's club crushed every goblin that used the stone cover for leverage to climb up. The Knight did the same by a thrust through the jaw for the creatures. Once it appeared like half the staircase was crawling with the things, Goblin Slayer threw an aroma bomb on the ground.

"Move!"

The Knight did not to be reminded twice as he turned around. It did not stop a goblin from jumping on his back and another goblin from catching up. From there, the Knight struggled to get the damn things off his armor. With a goblin at the back of his head, it plunged a knife through the eye hole of the Knight's helmet. It laughed as the Knight was almost ready to be taken to the ground as another goblin showed up so he can be taken to the ground.

"Speaker!" Goblin Slayer used his sling to throw a rock to get a Goblin off his back and drew his short sword. "Get down here!"

The plan to fall back was too late. Now it was time to make a stand here against the green skin horrors.

A goblin with a spear struck the Knight in the back, but he rolled around to kick it in the nose. It stumbled back as Goblin Slayer jumped down the steps to slice up goblins. Two were cut in half while other had its stomach sliced open. Intestines poured out as it dropped dead.

"Are you okay?" Goblin Slayer offed his free arm to get the Knight off the ground. Once they looked back at the edge of the staircase. Two hobgoblins roared at the humans.

From behind the humans, two spherical objects came from the sky. One of them exploded and caused a hobgoblin to rub its eyes from the sparks. The other goblin had a tree trunk for a club. It reeled back and hit Knight dead center in his chest and launched him into a wall. He crashed but did not moan in pain. Instead, the Knight's helmet rolled off as Speaker came down the steps to help.

From there, the knight shook his head.

Speaker's eyes widened.

The knight looked back, but he did not have flesh on his body. The emotionless permanent grin of snow-white teeth and no nose. Under the purple armor, was a Skeleton and it reached for its helmet. "That hurt."

Goblin Slayer stuck his sword into the throat of the hobgoblin as four more goblins climbed over the rubble.

"Solona!" Speaker waved his arm at the Skeleton.

"It's not over yet!" The Skeleton shouted back. Even though its teeth did not move in speech, it was human enough. "Watch yourself!"

The Skeleton got on its feet and swiped his longsword at a goblin that assumed he was wounded. "Call me Revenant!" He put his helmet over its skull.

"Of course!" Goblin Slayer had a goblin in his hand and tossed it over the edge to cry out in terror to become paste on the ground level. While Revenant and Goblin Slayer were keeping the horde at bay. A strange hook came up the side of the spiral. Speaker approached with caution to look over and saw that it was a grappling hook with goblins attempting to flank the group.

"Watch for hooks!" Speaker shouted while he kicked the hook off for the goblins below to fall to grisly deaths. Two more hooks landed on the side, and Speaker held the flint and spark over the rope. He struck it several times, and it caught fire on the rope. It spread down, and there were screams from below. Goblins had their fingers burned, and other let go early.

He looked over the edge again to see large splats of blood below.

"Die!" Speaker shouted.

At the rubble, the second hobgoblin's head peeked over and saw the humans massacring its kin. It roared and reached over the rubble to catch Goblin Slayer. Once he was in his grip, he yanked the Huntsman against the rubble several times as blood emanated out of the helmet as Speaker stuck a knife its eye.

"Solona!"

The hobgoblin let go of Goblin Slayer who quickly got back on his feet. He coughed some blood but did not allow that to distract him. "How about we take the fight to them!?"

"Sounds good to me!" Speaker jumped down as Goblin Slayer pressed his back again the rubble they used for cover. It was still a piece of rubble and not cemented to the staircase. Revenant cut hands and heads off of goblins that wanted to get at the two. After ten seconds of pushing the rubble budged and came loose. Speaker gave all the strength he could, and now the wreckage rolled off the staircase. Goblins yelped and cried in pain. Flesh grounded up as oranges and blood covered half the staircase. The rubble crushed a dozen goblins on the way down. Including the wounded hobgoblin.

The Revenant took the torch and looked over the next goblin wave below.

"Torch 'em!" Speaker shouted.

If the Revenant had lips, he would smile deviously. The Revenant threw the torch down the next square platform, Speaker shouted in a forgotten tongue, and the fire erupted out and set seven goblins on fire.

Once that happened, the goblin forces dwindled and knew the fight was lost. Revenant, Speaker, and Goblin Slayer grabbed weapons and walked down the stairs. Stabbing, impaling, and crushing goblins! One goblin jumped up from playing dead while another threw its spear. Goblin Slayer reacted quickly enough to use the faker as a shield to the spear. The other goblin now unarmed, Revenant cut its legs off and then its head.

Once it was over, forty goblins and two hobgoblins died in that room. The proud roar of the goblins was no more, but two humans and undead walked around down the stairs making sure each goblin was dead. Some like to play dead in the hopes to survive, they checked all the bodies and finished off the goblins still breathing.

"None, deserve mercy." Goblin Slayer grabbed a spear and reversed his arm for a throw. "Slay them all." He tossed the spear at a goblin running away.

"You got it, boss." Speaker wiped his cheek of blood. It was not his blood by the way.

"I think I might like you guys." Revenant rolled his head around. "Let's go search for that survivor!"

Each one of them collected themselves from the bloodlust and scavenged some weapons. Primarily spears for Goblin Slayer to throw. Speaker eased on his spells. Revenant wrung out its cowhide glove of blood. No going back now, it was time to cleanse the temple of its goblin infestation.

 **The Revenant is from the Manga: "** **Skeleton Soldier Couldn't Protect the Dungeon."**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5, Battle at the Fountain

The party formed a triangle formation where Speaker was in the middle and behind Goblin Slayer on the left and Revenant to the right. After the staircase battle, a vast dark tunnel was carved out of stone. Unsure of the reason, the party speculated it could be a highway once upon a time. Revenant held a torch in its non-dominate arm.

"So, you're dead." Speaker calmly eyed the walls to hopefully decipher some of the meaning.

"Not quite, but not living either." The Revenant's voice echoed out of its helmet. "Does this bother you?"

"Do you want the truth or the lie? Because Skeletons tend to attack humans on sight." Speaker recalled statements among the Huntsmen and Huntresses in the countryside. "What I do know is that Necromancers usually summon undead."

"If it makes you feel comfortable, my master is not a Necromancer." The Revenant turned its helmet. "Humans attack Skeletons on sight, the feeling is mutual."

"Watch my back, and I will return the favor." Speaker glanced at Goblin Slayer. "Hey, boss, what's the plan?"

"Find goblins, kill them and find the survivor." Goblin Slayer lifted his sword up and noticed two inches from the top the blade chipped. The Huntsman grumbled to himself as he sheathed the blade and prepared the spears. Five in total and three of which were crude and the rest must have been scavenged.

"The spears, are from humans." Goblin Slayer inspected the hilts and the craftsmanship. Eventually, he discovered a small emblem at the base of a spear. "These came from Mount Glenn."

The Revenant looked over his shoulder. "Never heard of that town."

"It's to the southwest portion of Vale. Human city, about seven months ago, it was overrun by one of the Demon Lord's armies." Speaker right hand rubbed his chin. "How weapons like this, got on the opposite side of the country is beyond me."

"It does not matter, but these goblins do have a leader." Goblin Slayer turned to his comrades. "I did not see any totems meaning it's not a Goblin."

"Why does that matter?" The Revenant inquired.

"Goblin shamans usually take over a nest, capable of using spells, and become the _brain_. At the staircase, it was nothing but grunts. Clever enough to ambush but not clever for an assault. Meaning these goblins are not as experienced at warfare." Goblin Slayer reached into his back and took out two potions. "There is something at play, I need more evidence for my conclusion."

Goblin Slayer lightly tossed an energy potion. No hint required, Speaker downed the drink in one go. He groaned and shook his head.

"It's going to take a while to get used to that." Speaker brushed his wrist to his lips. "Any idea how we could signal the survivor?"

"Not a clue." Goblin Slayer took out his club.

In the distance, there was a loud footstep it shook the ground around the party. Goblin Slayer frowned as he waved at the Revenant to put out the torch. Now in darkness, Speaker sprinted to a wall and pressed his back to it. The Revenant did the same and crouched behind rubble. Goblin Slayer went to the opposite wall and crouched behind a broken pillar.

The footsteps got louder and eventually, in the darkness the party could make out a sizeable humanoid outline. It was massive, about thirteen feet tall with animal paw and claws dangle from the body.

"I knew those goblins were worthless." The giant muttered as it set a massive tree trunk shield to its shoulder. Carved from the midsection and downward to allow the giant to better its grip.

A foot game down six feet away from Speaker, it shook the ground as it the nose wrinkled and searched for intruders. In the darkness, Speaker could only vaguely make out the appearance of the giant, and it bothered him that he could not recognize it.

"I saw your torch cowards. Come out!" The giant grumbled as it lowered the tree trunk.

' _I do not have any spells or chants to fight that thing!_ ' Speaker held his breath.

After forty seconds, the giant footsteps were no longer inaudible range, and Speaker walked away from the wall. He signed up to clear out the goblin horde, not a damn giant!

Speaker opened his mouth before Revenant's gloved patted his shoulder. Looking over his shoulder, Speaker saw Revenant shake its helmet in a 'no' gesture. Restrained, Speaker looked at the ground to realize how foolish it would be the make noise so soon from the giant. It could have better hearing and be crushed is not an ideal method to die.

Goblin Slayer loosened some of the straps to his plates so it would clank against each other in movement and brushed his hand forward twice and the party moved on with light footsteps. Revenant needed the less amount of movement and the party communicated through hand gestures for five minutes.

Concerned about a possible ambush, the party formed the line formation again. Goblin Slayer in front, and Revenant in back. They walked for ten minutes more until there this wide tunnel showed a vast circular room with a fountain in the middle. The top part of it broke off, and the water did reflect in the minor amount of light. Revenant and Goblin Slayer entered the room first weapons drawn. No goblins in sight. They must have put four hundred feet between the party and that giant.

"Goblin Slayer, do you have anything in that rucksack to kill that giant?" The Revenant walked to the water and dipped its glove inside. A mist of red floated off and dispersed.

"No." Goblin Slayer reached inside and held a blank piece of paper. "...Should have made a scroll…"

He took out the remaining contents of potions, several aroma bombs, and one magic stone charged with electricity. The stone is something the Goblin Slayer would prefer to save for a different threat…

The watering hole was similar to the previous staircase. A circular formation but not as large. The stairs did not have flat sections and went upward by three stories. The fountain at one side had a crack which allowed a puddle to form behind it.

"I think we can find a way to sneak out and come back with better equipment." Speaker brushed beads of sweat from his forehead.

Revenant looked up to the ceiling and notice several cracks. They could be made out from gaps allowed some light to slip through. Several beams of light were able to seep through and make the bottom floor have some visibility. Enough that the party did not need to light a torch.

"Either of you have a rope?" The Revenant asked.

"No." Goblin Slayer walked to the water, set the spears down, then tightened his metal plate straps.

"For a Huntsman, you are not very prepared!" Speaker lashed out.

"I hunt goblins. Other monsters are not my priority."

"Here I thought I could read people so well." Speaker sighed.

Goblin Slayer turned to Speaker. "I see."

Unsure of what to do, the party remained silent. It was until a rock fell off from above. Revenant was the first to turn around to defend itself but saw no monster. It was a woman, and she was about two floors above them.

"Finally! A rescue team!" The woman's voice exhaled with relieved exhaustion. She walked down a floor and then jumped off to stand before the party. She blinked several times and spread her arms out. "What took you so long!?"

"What?" Speaker crossed his arms.

"Scout, she told me she could get out and get help." The woman looked around. "Is she here?"

Speaker and Revenant turned her heads away from the woman.

"Why the long faces?" The woman pondered.

Seeing no need to pretend nothing is wrong. "Your friend couldn't make it out of the temple. She was captured near an exit, and we evacuated her." Goblin Slayer cut the chase.

"Wait…" The woman's eyes widened.

"She's still alive, has all of her limbs, and is outside of the temple." Goblin Slayer took out an energy potion and tossed it to the woman. "Drink up."

The woman frowned and looked at the ground. Speaker and Revenant could look at her finally without informing her about the awful news. However, it at least offers a little comfort.

Appearance wise, the woman had pale blue swaying hair that was casually short, but there was a tuft of hair tied up on both sides of her forehead with two tied braids where sideburns would be located. Sprouting out of her hair were two cat ears covered in fur the same as her hair color. Her torso did have a chest plate cover her heart but not long enough to cover the skin exposed midriff. A modified green coat with yellow trims was on her body as the left arm had no sleeve and the right arm had a long sleeve. Black leather straps overlapped over the coat to keep the chest plate in place. To offer freedom of movement, the woman had a short shorts as the garment makers called them. Her lower back had a cat tail. To finish off her clothing was a set of black boots of refined grip. Athletic wise, she was petite and could run for a prolonged period. No older than late teens or early twenties by human standards. At her back was a brown leather arrow quiver with a two dozen arrows.

Before the group discussed further, the party introduced themselves to the Archer. The Revenant did not reveal it is an undead, however.

"What's a Faunus doing here?" Speaker uncrossed his arms.

"Hired to scope the place out. Proved to be more difficult than we assumed." The Faunus Archer drew her refined metal bow. "Did you killed the Gogmagog?"

"No. We don't have the tools." The Revenant replied.

"What was that thing?" Goblin Slayer asked.

Archer turned to the Huntsman. "A Gogmagog, a giant from the old times. Said to be stronger than twenty human men. I saw another one back in the Mistral forest years ago, but the military killed it."

"I see." Goblin Slayer looked at the ceiling. "Do you have a rope?"

"No." Archer lifted her arms up in defeat. "Thanks for drawing the goblins away, I was hiding at the top of a broken staircase for two days." She glanced at the party. "Once I saw the goblins rush out to an alarm allowed me to get down and check the area."

"Any other way out?"

"Sadly no. Several tunnels are too narrow for us to move and much less so in armor. The route we came in collapsed because the Gogmagog smashed it in anger. We have to go out the way you came in."

"Easier said than done." The Revenant retorted.

"I thought about using the skylight to get out, but I don't have enough strength or spells to get out." The Archer's ear twitched… "It's coming!"

"Do we have a plan?" Revenant drew its sword.

"Archer, can you use fire spells?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"Yes, but how is that going to help!?" Archer shook her head.

"Speaker here can help, once he lets us lighten our equipment and you follow my orders. Save several spells for fire, okay?"

"Fine." Archer split away from the group and sprinted up the steps to use pillars for cover. Knowing that they will need spells and phrases to survive, Speaker followed her. Revenant and Goblin Slayer drew their swords then nodded to each other.

The ground shook from every step, and eventually, the Gogmagog set forth into the fountain room. Now visible, it was nicer to look at in the darkness. Despite the size and strength the skin was weathered and wrinkled. The giant had boils at its nose and wholly covered in animal skins for clothing. Adult bears pelts for shoes and other stitched together animals at its back. In its right arm, the bloodied tree trunk club and a crushed human helmet caught at the tip.

"I put too much faith in those dirty goblins…" The Gogmagog's voice was raspy and worn out. "They do not even make good foot soldiers."

The giant took one more step. "You people seem more prepared than other adventurers. But you're wrong if you think you can step in my domain and live."

"So, you're not a goblin?" The Huntsman's shoulders lowered slightly.

"Are you serious!?" The Archer whined. "How can you NOT hear about these things!?"

The Gogmagog laughed. "Full of fear that you must resort to mockery?"

"Not quite," Speaker responded and then activated his control ability. The giant took one step outside of his control. "My ability won't work!"

"I know there are powerful monsters in the world, but I am afraid I never heard of you."

The giant roared and brought its weapon down. A burst of dust and stone kicked up the air. But the Goblin Slayer was able to sidestep and escape the blow in time.

"I was granted an army by the Demon Lord and not knowing who you are is mutual!" The giant roared again.

"Now you pissed him off!" Speaker shouted.

Once that happened the giant swiped its club at the Revenant, but it ducked its helmet down in time. When that happened, the giant brought the club upward to squash Revenant. Once the arm was up, an arrow flung directly in its eye which caused the giant to stumble and growled at Archer. The giant stomped its feet, and a ripple caused the fountain to break apart and allowed the water to spill out onto the floor. Pebbles abound, and the Gogmagog raised its arm and directed it toward Speaker and Archer.

"Stone blast." As the Gogmagog said that, several stones increased in size and shout out in quickened speed at the pillar the two used for cover. Dust kicked up, and the barrage of stone followed the Speaker as they were forced to sprint up the staircase. A rock pierced through the back end of his robe to make a hole. The blood in the eye obscured the giant's vision, so the other hand reached in and yanked the arrow out. While that happened Goblin Slayer and Revenant sprinted at the giant's legs and sliced at the tendons.

Frustrated, the Gogmagog crushed the arrow in its hand and summoned a fireball and launched it at the party's support. Archer noticed the attack and stopped at a pillar and pressed her back against it. Once she did, Speaker had tunnel vision and paid attention to move so as he passed her, the Archer yanked on his robes to make him stop. Acknowledging the order, Speaker pressed his back against the pillar as fire erupted on the other side and shot forward then spread out and caught several flammable objects on fire. The walls were scorched, and Archer drew another arrow and fired back at the giant.

As the fireball struck the pillar, the Gogmagog stomped again which caused Revenant to lose balance and fall to its right knee. Goblin Slayer, on the other hand, sprinted out away from legs but not without leaving daggers implanted in the giant's tendons dipped in goblin poison. As the Revenant got on its feet, it looked up to see the tree mallet swipe upward and launched it into a wall.

The Revenant fell down and landed on its knees. The left arm shook as it got on its feet. "It's going to take more than that!" The Revenant shouted.

"It's not like I haven't faced pesky worms before!" The Gogmagog stepped forward as the Archer let loose two arrows in the same time. One got the forehead but did not pierce the skull. The giant brought its weapon down and broke a section of the staircase as Speaker fell off from the vibration. Archer tried to catch him, but her reaction was not quick enough.

Speaker landed flat on his back and felt the brunt of the impact. When that happened, he rolled to his side to see Goblin Slayer and Revenant swipe at the giant and staying out of range of its weapon. The Gogmagog's stone blast could only work for the giant to focus on one target at a time and the party was spread out far enough that they could attack from different angles.

"Is that you best attack!" The tree branch came around and struck Goblin Slayer in the torso and launched the Huntsman into a pillar. The metal plates crashed against it, and the body rubbed against the stone as he fell several feet. His body struck the bottom, and Goblin Slayer upper body dropped to the left.

Speaker shook his head and sprinted to Goblin Slayer. "Hey! You still with us!?"

"Do not mistake me for a mere goblin! You should all pay dearly." The Gogmagog cackled a hearty laugh and turned to Revenant. "I shall break your limbs and watch you suffer!"

"Keep trying!" The Revenant shouted back.

The Archer and the Revenant made sure the Gogmagog would not focus on the Goblin Slayer and Speaker.

"Hey, come on! Show me you're alive!" Speaker shook Goblin Slayer. He closed his eyes and mumbled a phrase to himself and lightened the armor. "Solona!" From there, Speaker reached for Goblin Slayer's arm and hoisted him to his feet.

"We're getting you out of here." Speaker looked at the Revenant able to keep its distance.

"…No…" The Goblin Slayer mumbled. "I need a healing and energy potion.

"You're not in the condition to-"

"We flee, we die!" Goblin Slayer cut him off.

Not the time to argue, Speaker grimaced to himself as he reached for the rucksack and took out the vials. The leathered hands gripped the drinks and downed both of them in one gulp. Once that was over, he threw the vials away and took something else out of the rucksack. "You can summon ice?"

"Yeah."

"Then once I get the giant's attention, summon ice out of the ground."  
Speaker widened his eyes. "What if you don't get out the blast range?"  
"Just do it!" Goblin Slayer snapped.

Speaker watched Goblin Slayer walk on his own and directly at the giant. Revenant noticed the Huntsman was okay and backed off. Archer had five arrows left.

"Ah, I see you're willing to give up?" The Gogmagog watched the Huntsman approach. "Giving up saves me the trouble."

"No…" Goblin Slayer walked into the kneecap high water. He looked up, and the giant could swear there was a red glint of light from behind the helmet. Standing in the same water, the giant raised its club. Goblin Slayer took out a magic stone and crushed it in his hand. Blue light erupted out and shocked the water. The giant's muscles went stiff and dropped its weapon.

In the water, the Goblin Slayer remained standing, and after several seconds the Revenant sprinted from safety and pulled Goblin Slayer out of the electrified water.

"Now!" Goblin Slayer shouted.

Speaker said several phrases to himself and raised his arms up and out of the water. Ice formed and sharp cones speared through the Gogmagog through various parts of its body. Once that was done, Goblin Slayer turned to Archer.

"Use a fire arrow at the ceiling!" She did as told and launched an arrow to the roof.

Speaker caught on to the plan, mumbled a concussive fire blast and then the arrows exploded from the ceiling. As that happened dirt and stone fell off as did large sections of it broke off.

The Gogmagog watched as several boulders the size of itself come down. It looked down to see Goblin Slayer standing tall as its arms and a leg were crushed in stone. Dust and ice shards kicked up in the unified attack. Once it was over, the Gogmagog blinked several times as it could not move the rest of its limbs.

Metal clanked for several seconds.

"I was going to use that electric stone to stun a Goblin Champion." Goblin Slayer walked Gogmagog. "Oh well. Now, what were you called again? Not that it matters."

"You're insane! You would bring down a stone structure to possibly kill yourselves!?"

"Yes, because Goblins are worth killing than you." The Goblin Slayer used his sword to plunge directly into the Gogmagog's forehead and shoved enough force to crack through the skull. Once the blade was that deep, Goblin Slayer carved through the head to split in two. Once he made sure the giant was indeed dead, the Goblin Slayer hobbled off the giant.

"Is everyone okay?" The Goblin Slayer slowly felt the healing potion kick in then soothed some of the aches and pains.

The Revenant and Speaker walked to their comrade. Both were almost eager to offer their arms to help him walk, but Goblin Slayer had enough strength on his own. Archer from behind the group was befuddled at the how the under-equipped party was able to face a creature most mid-ranked guild members could accomplish.

Once that was over, the Revenant struck a torch and as each of them walked out of the temple. Past all the corpses, the blood puddles, and the waste heap. It was a long walk, but any goblins that could remain in the temple must have abandoned it or were completely wiped out.

The Faunus Archer was concerned about her companion as they were able to see daylight she could touch. It felt like an eternity to huddle in the corners, nibble on rations, and now she could feel the embrace of the sun. Once they got out of the temple, there was a horse carriage, four Speakers, and guild members with them. Each of them was lower cobalt ranks.

The party's Speaker informed them the temple was clear out for the most part but must be careful of traps or hidden goblins. Each of them noticed how dented, and dirty the Revenant's armor became, Goblin Slayer appeared like he was about ready to topple over, and the Archer's clothing was smudged. Speaker was no different from the amount of blood that dried on his robes.

A middle-aged male Speaker smiled at the party. "You have our gratitude. We learned that Shinso was able to find an experienced Huntsman to help."

Goblin Slayer walked passed the Speaker without saying a word.

"How many goblins remain inside at this point?" The man watched the party walk by without a word. "We discovered the girl and hand a friend already take her to the nearest town."

Without an invitation, Goblin Slayer, Speaker, Revenant, and Archer embarked on the back end of the carriage and claimed different sections.

A younger Speaker that wasn't Hitoshi Shinso brushed the carriage cloth out the way to speak to the party. "Well anyway, we are going to scout to see if the temple is completely cleared." The cloth came down. "You can rest, and our friends will take you to the nearest town."

A small crack of the horse rope and the carriage wobbled and bumped against the rocky road. Inside the carriage, Revenant crossed its arms and fell asleep. Speaker, on the other hand, took off one of his robes and used as a pillow and huddled against a corner of the carriage.

"Speaker. Does that Vermin Hunter always do insane stunts?"

"Not sure, I only met Goblin Slayer several days ago." Speaker shrugged then yawned. "But considering the bards like to sing about him, it's possible."

"Alright." The Faunus Archer stared out an opening of the carriage to see the lush green grass and trees. ' _Yeah, Nah, I don't like him. Even if he saved me from that giant. I thought adventures were supposed to be about fun. There's joy in the unknown_.'

Goblin Slayer fell asleep a moment after he sat down, and his helmet rocked slightly with the vibration of the carriage. The Faunus Archer set her quiver and bow aside and enjoyed the daylight from safety.

 **Thank you for reading. Reviews are appreciated.**


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